This week, the latest edition of the Deutscher Startup Monitor 2026 was published by Startup-Verband. The study provides a comprehensive view of Germany’s startup landscape and the pivotal role of universities and research.



A few key insights from this year’s report:

🔬 Universities remain central to the ecosystem: 76.5% rate proximity to universities as a regional strength.

🧑‍🏫 University support matters: 50.5% of founders received support from universities or research institutions; 69.6% say it was important or very important for their startup.

🦾 Research-to-market momentum: 58.9% of startups build on new scientific findings; 9.9% classify as DeepTech.

👥 Strongest university levers: access to talent (55.6%) and networking into the startup scene (51.2%).

🎓 Founder alma maters: 5.7% of participating founders earned their highest degree at RWTH Aachen University – placing RWTH first nationwide.



While providing a good indication of the lively RWTH startup ecosystem here in Aachen, these results first and foremost motivate us to keep strengthening EntrepreneurialTransfer at RWTH and ensure our founders have the best possible support to turn ideas into impact.



Read the full report via the attached link. 📊



Uniklinik RWTH Aachen | RWTH Collective Incubator